Baked Chicken Tenders

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Not Junk But Good Food

When junk food is no longer junk!

There are times when junk is the only thing that would do! I mean who doesn’t love fried chicken? I do! The breaded golden look of it and that smell are enough to have me give in to the temptation! Oh, but gone are the days when I went astray, as now I make these most delicious, super crunchy, phenomenal baked chicken tenders, that will have you placing bets on whether or not they are fried!! I have never looked back, as now I get to have a guilt free, non-junk chicken treat that is just as good as those for which you queue; if not even better!

Look I am telling you, you have got to try them to believe it! This recipe is going to change your life, as you too will get to kiss “Fried Chicken” good bye!

I went for tenders,

basically boneless chicken breast, sliced into strips. But this recipe works very well for chicken on the bone pieces if that is what you prefer. You can also go for bigger boneless pieces if you are looking into reproducing a fast food chicken sandwich. You can even cut the chicken into cubes, and place on skewers or toothpicks for a cocktail bite option. The optionsare endless.

A note on dietary requirements

For those allergic to eggs, good news as you too can enjoy these, for this preparation is eggless. For those watching their weight, you no longer need to feel deprived, you will love these. Just go easy on the cheese as it tends to pack some saturated fats. When you are entertaining, it is very elegant to take all dietary needs into consideration, this recipe allows you to do that with flying colours.

Finally, We tend to go for more traditional foods during the month of Ramadan. Make these on days, when you are feeling a bit out of the box. This is also a very good choice for an early suhoor, or for when you are entertaining different age groups as the kids will love it!

For those of you still insisting on frying, this recipe is good for frying too. If you are going to fry, do it right. Have included for you a video on how to properly fry chicken.

Ingredients

Serves: 4
  • 4 chicken breast, sliced into strips or 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
  • 1 cup yoghurt
  • 1 cup milk
  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • 2 tbsp DS Red Shatta (optional for spicy tenders)
  • 1/2 brown onion, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tbsp dried Zaatar Oregano, or Thyme
  • 4 cups plain organic toasted oats or crushed cornflakes
  • 1 cup grated emmental cheese, parmesan cheese or aged cheddar cheese
  • Salt & Black pepper to taste
  • Coleslaw (recipe on this link)

Allow 3 hours ahead for chicken to marinate, and can go up to 12 hours. This marination enhances the flavour and produces very tender and juicy chicken tenders.

 

In a large bowl, mix together yogurt, milk, shatta (if using), lemon juice, garlic, onion, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix to incorporate all. Add the chicken pieces and coat fully. Wrap with nylon and refrigerate for 3 hours – up to 12 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400F-200C. Lightly grease a wire rack, fit in a roasting/baking dish and set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine the grated cheese and toasted oats/crushed cornflakes together with some seasoning.

Remove the chicken from the marinade allowing the excess to drip off. Dip the chicken pieces in the oats/cornflakes mixture pressing to properly coat all sides.

Place the pieces on the greased wire rack. Repeat until all chicken pieces have been coated. Spray with oil and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes up to 1 hour for on the on the bone pieces. The finished pieces must be browned and crunchy.

Serve these hot, alongside coleslaw salad (recipe here) with either BBQ sauce (recipe here), or best yet serve them alongside this red currant relish.

To-die-for!!

 

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